You know that feeling you get when you find out that your grandma tells all her grandkids that they’re the most special? And you thought she only bought YOU your favorite candy and said, “shhh, don’t tell your cousins.” Yeah, Costco does that, too. Just when you thought Costco had a special thing just for your town, I’m here to burst your bubble. A lot of Costcos have unique features — and these unique Costco locations will surprise you.
We asked our KCL Facebook community what makes their Costco unique, and we were surprised — and slightly green with envy — over some of the answers. (Looking at you and your covered parking lot, Costco in Coralville, Iowa!) Below are a few of our favorite answers and a peek at what those lucky Costco shoppers get to experience with all the unique Costco locations we found.
For more smart shopping tips and savings hacks, text HACKS to 57299.
Before we jump in — keep an eye on the new Costco locations coming in 2023 and 2024.
Don’t have a Costco location near you yet? The company continues to grow, so your city might be on the radar for a new Costco location coming soon. And once a new location opens, they’ll generally offer a $30 digital Costco Shop Card when you join and enroll in auto-renewal of your membership.
According to this page on Costco.com, here are the new Costco locations in the works:
- North Canton, OH — opened Aug. 17, 2023
- St. Louis, MO — Costco Business Center opened Oct. 24, 2023
- Clermont, FL — opened Nov. 14, 2023
- Hendersonville, TN — opened Nov. 15, 2023
- Stockbridge, GA — opened Nov. 16, 2023
- Scarborough, ME — opened Nov. 17, 2023
- Newark, CA — opened Nov. 18, 2023
- Noblesville, IN — opened Nov. 21, 2023
- Marysville, CA — opened Nov. 22, 2023
- Eau Claire, WI — opened Nov. 30, 2023
- Southfield, MI — Costco Business Center opening January 2024
- Anchorage, AK — Costco Business Center opening February 2, 2024
- Daytona Beach, FL — opening in early 2024
- Richmond, TX — summer 2024
- Fresno, CA — no date yet, but it will be the largest-ever Costco
TIP: When the Scarborough location opened in November 2023, it marked the first-ever location for a Costco warehouse in the state of Maine!
1. Costco stores in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have covered parking for horses and buggies.
It’s true — in Amish Country, you can hitch your horse and buggy up while you shop at Costco.
TIP: Some Costco locations will allow overnight RV parking in their lots, as long as local ordinances allow it. Just call the store first and confirm the rules with the manager.
2. You can drive through a Costco Car Wash at 14 locations in the U.S.
And my city happens to have one of them! Here are the unique Costco locations with a Costco Car Wash Service:
- Glendale, AZ
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Lancaster, CA
- Norwalk, CA
- Oxnard, CA
- Poway, CA
- San Juan Capistrano, CA
- Torrance, CA
- Victorville, CA
- Boise, ID
- Brentwood, TN
- Murfreesboro, TN
- Bellingham, WA
- Seattle, WA
Related: If you want to learn more about saving money at Costco (I swear it’s possible!), getting a hold of Costco deals, or information about Costco’s return policy, we’ve got you covered there, too.
3. The Costco in Coralville, Iowa, offers covered parking.
This means no getting your shoes wet walking from your car to the store in the winter. And winter is serious business in Iowa. This Costco location offers over 500 stalls in a warehouse-like indoor parking garage attached to the Costco store.
4. Costco locations in warmer climates sometimes have outdoor food courts.
Stores in states like Hawaii (Kauai), Florida (Orlando), and California (Marina del Rey) offer Costco food courts that are outdoors instead of inside. You still have to be a member to eat there, but if you’re not a member, you can always ask a loved one to get their hands on a Costco gift card for you. Use this Costco membership hack to eat at the food court if you’re craving those $1.50 hot dogs.
5. Some Costcos have free automated tire air pumps.
These seem to be prevalent across the Midwest and in the South. You pull up to the pumping station, enter your desired PSI, hook the machine up to your tire, and voila! Fast and free.
Related: We found even more spots to get free air for your tires.
6. Costco is inside a shopping mall at 26 locations across the U.S.
While this phenomenon seems to only happen in larger cities, there are some outliers, too. If you live in any of these 17 cities that represent 26 Costcos, you have a reason to go to the mall:
- Birmingham, AL
- San Jose, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Fort Myers, FL
- Sarasota, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Champaign, IL
- Chicago, IL
- Des Moines, IA
- Baltimore, MD
- Washington, DC
- New York City, NY
- Columbus, OH
- Pittsburg, PA
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Fredericksburg, VA
- Charlottesville, VA
Related: Did you hear that pickleball courts are coming to malls, too?
7. Costco in Kennewick, Washington, made the news for most pumpkin pies sold.
For multiple years in a row, the Costco location in Kennewick, Washington, has sold thousands (upon thousands) of pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving time. This store has also ranked in the Top 10 for the number of apple pies and pecan pies sold.
8. The biggest Costco of them all is in Salt Lake City, Utah.
At a ginormous 235,000 square feet, the Salt Lake City Costco warehouse is the largest one in the world. For comparison’s sake, an average Costco warehouse usually runs about 140,000 square feet.
Some of the extra space goes to the Costco Business Center, where local store owners shop to supply their businesses or restaurants with goods (similar to a Cash and Carry discount store).
9. Some Costcos sell whole lamb carcasses.
If you live in a larger metro area, look in the freezer section — your Costco may be one of many that carry a whole lamb. KCL readers report lamb sightings in Detroit, Houston, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and more.
Whole lamb carcass will run you under $5 per pound, depending on where you live.
Related: We did the math to find out if it’s worth it to buy a whole cow to save on meat.
10. You can buy liquor at Costco in 16 states.
Most Costco stores offer beer and wine for sale, but not all offer liquor. It’s an open secret that Kirkland brand beer, wine, and liquor is sourced from popular producers in each category. And considering the Kirkland stuff is cheaper than the brand names, buying alcohol at Costco becomes a huge money-saver for anyone who partakes.
Here are the states where Costco is allowed to sell beer, wine, and liquor — but you’ll need to have a membership to purchase it:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Florida
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Washington D.C.
11. You don’t need a membership to purchase alcohol at Costcos in 12 states.
The following states make it illegal for Costco to require a membership in order to buy alcohol:
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- Texas
- Vermont
12. You can charge your electric car at Costcos in California, Arizona, and Texas.
…and a few places across the Midwest, too!
Car charging stations cost $0.20 – $0.30 per kilowatt hour, depending on whether it’s a Level 2 charger or a Tesla Supercharger (the latter costs on the higher end).
This is an energy-efficient benefit Costco hopes to eventually roll out to more stores around the U.S.
13. The Iwelei Costco in Oahu, Hawaii, is the busiest in the world.
Even though there are four Costcos on Oahu, the Iwelei location does twice as much business as an average Costco store. Costco estimates that 25% of island residents are warehouse members, so it makes sense that Oahu would also have the most lucrative store.
14. California has the most Costco stores — a whopping 131 warehouses!
Runner-up is Texas with 33, then Washington with 32.
15. Four states — Maine, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming — don’t have a Costco. At all.
There’s a Maine location in the works, but it appears to be delayed as of 2023.
BONUS: Every single Costco has wine bottles that jump into your cart as you pass by.
Okay, not really. But this was the most “liked” comment on KCL’s Facebook post. It had 344 reactions — LOL!
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